The Natural Beauty of Botswana

Botswana holds a vast land-mass of over 200 square-miles of well-treated farmland at the centre of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation- a 1970’s agreement to look after the natural land covering five Southern African countries. The Botswanan government is proud of its many nature reserves as they are integral to tourist trade.

The Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park are the two main natural wonders which attract people to Botswana of all the countries in the South of Africa, not just for their cultural importance but for the pure beauty of the views.

Many tourists are blown away by the thriving vegetation in such a predominantly dry country which suffers from droughts. Even more amazing, is that Okavango Delta flows throughout the seasons and yet is hundreds of metres inland. The Delta is a sprawling grassy swamp, which in the wet season becomes a diverse animal habitat. With wildlife drinking the water in its streams, the Chobe river and the Zambezi river are truly unique to the rest of Africa.

On the contrary to wetland, the Kalahari desert covers almost the entirety of Botswana. However, it isn’t technically a desert as it is only semi-arid and has many bushes and trees which make for stunning sunset views. Interestingly, the plants grow a deep root to be able to reach water underground and to offer them stability in the harsh environment. The views vary from rocky to green, depending on where you go in Botswana.

You may have heard that in the south-west of Botswana black-coated Kalahari lions roam and the northern Chobe National Park has the largest number of elephants on the planet. It may be easy to focus on the wildlife in Botswana, particularly in the park land in the north, where there are large areas of shrubland and grassland, but the sand dunes and baobab trees of the southern parts of the country are equally remarkable.

Baobabs are leafless trees, that are some of the oldest in the world. They’re dry enough not to grow leaves but don’t completely die because they still receive light and water in the wet months. They have been present in Botswana for thousands of years yet are scarcely seen elsewhere in the world. A group of baobabs are known as Baines’ baobabs named after the 19th century explorer, Thomas Baines.

The Botswana landscape is decorated with hundreds of types of trees. The camelthorn tree is shaped like an umbrella. This tree is a symbol of the Kalahari Desert, where it mainly grows. Another notable type of tree are huge Marula trees, which grows Marula fruit. The green trees in Botswana are mainly Acacia trees, due to its tropical climate, but some cactus species also grow there.

Botswanan landscapes were the focus of experimental art by local artist Chloe Sells. She captures the kaleidoscopic color of the greenery and wildlife-filled skyline in her home country. Photographers from all around the world get some fantastic shots all around Botswana, proving it is a fantastic place to admire the Earth’s natural beauty.